| Date/Time: | 2006-05-30 12:34:00 |
| Race: | Indianapolis 500 |
All the excitement, the anticipation and the hopes of the Indy 500 for Jeff Bucknum came to a quick conclusion Sunday as he was involved in a second lap accident which ended his day. The incident was a matter of deep disappointment for Jeff, for Hemelgarn Racing, and for all of Jeff’s fans and supporters.Jeff started out the race conservative, not knowing how the car would react to the extreme change in track and air conditions compared to any of the practice days during the month of May. His conservative approach did him well for a lap and a half as he followed a herd of cars jostling for position. Then, entering turn two on the second lap, the back end of the #92 entry suddenly snapped loose sending him into a spin and taking out his teammate. P.J. Chesson. “I am so disappointed for my crew, my supporters, friends and for myself. I know I am not immune to errors but after the incident I could not identify what caused the spin. That is not like me at all. I hated to have such a great opportunity squandered.” “It took a while after the race to evaluate the data with my engineers and determine just what happened. What we found out was that the setup changes done to the car just before the race were not appropriate for the race day track conditions. The front end was planted firmly and the back end was set up too loose. We looked at my steering input, throttle, and braking, and there was nothing to show that I could have unsettled the car. The car was going to spin, the only question was when. That being said, there are only two hands on the wheel and one foot on the gas and they were mine. It is just a terrible way to finish my month at the Indy 500.” “I really appreciated my opportunity to compete here. The second week engine program allows competition at a lower level of expenses and that is a positive. But it widens the gap from the full season multi-car teams, and teams such as mine. Our task is to move up and eliminate that disadvantage. Jeff remained in Indy with Suzanne to attend the Awards Banquet before returning to Arizona. The racing plans for the remainder of the year are still being worked on, but suffice it to say, Jeff will be seen soon, and will visit Indy again. |
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